Fun with Fondant.

March 22, 2009 —by Lindsay

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My first practice for the wedding cupcake decor, proper colors and all.

I bought some adorable little flower molds, some pre-packaged fondant and gumpaste, turquoise food color, and some other fun bits and pieces. Finally got it all out today and had a ball. It’s practically like being in kindergarten again, except the play-doh IS actually edible this time.

Tell me, what is the difference between fondant and gumpaste? I tried both, and the flowers and hearts made from each ended up looking exactly the same. The fondant dried quicker, but the gumpaste seemed like it dried harder. Any seasoned pros out there: for decorations like these, which one is better? Or is one better? Any chance marzipan would work for decorations like these, since it’d be the best tasting of the lot, but I’m not sure it would harden right, especially for the hearts.

I really love the way the little ampersand hearts came out. I had a stamp custom made with the ampersand we’ve been using as our monogram, and it was perfect for embossing right onto the fondant. I have a thing for ampersands. It’s a slight problem. But it’s probably why I was so tickled with these. I can’t decide if I want to do a mix of flowers and hearts, or stick with one for consistency.

Of course there’s always the issue of having all the cupcakes “match”. These cupcakes (Mexican Hot Chocolate… yum) are perfect since the white frosting takes the turquoise so well. We’re also doing the almond cupcakes, which have a chocolate frosting, that I thought would look cute with turquoise flowers and hearts. Haven’t decided on the other flavor(s) yet, though I’ve made a few recently that are definitely contenders. Just not sure if I should pick a cupcake for taste, or for looks (for example, the pink frosting from the Strawberry Lemonade cupcakes wouldn’t match too well with the turquoise/black color scheme).

I may just have to leave it up to democracy. Do I smell a poll? What? Maybe…

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All sounds lovely! I tend to avoid gumpaste unless I need something to dry really hard, it tastes even more gross than regular fondant. I also make my own fondant most of the time, that tastes a little better.

Marzipan is harder to get into little shapes since it has grains, but it does taste better. I put marzipan flowers on a princess cake I made for my birthday.

Also watch out in case the fondant goes all gooey. This happens most with cream cheese, and it can be really messy.

Feel free to drop me an email if you like, I’m not an expert by any means but I’m happy to answer any questions!

Another cake idea might be dorie greenspan’s perfect party cake. The cakes dont get a dome on them, but they taste very good and moist.

To answer a few of your questions:
Gumpaste is made of powdered sugar, water, (sometimes) egg whites, and gum tragacanth. The gum helps gumpaste dry really hard (and QUICKLY), but it also means that you can roll the gumpaste out paper thin. You can’t do this with fondant. Gumpaste is not really meant for eating, just decoration.

Fondant is made of powdered sugar, water, gelatin, fat, corn syrup, and flavourings. You can’t roll it as thin, but it tastes much better. Your fondant should not dry out faster than gumpaste. If you bought Wilton-brand fondant… STOP! It’s awful. Make your own. It’s easy (like making bread), and you can flavour it any way you want. I use vanilla, lemon, and almond extract in my fondant.

Marzipan tastes better, but can’t be rolled as flat, doesn’t dry out as easily, and doesn’t retain its shape. It is made of ground almonds, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and egg whites. Most cake decorators don’t use it much because it is very expensive. Typically, it is used to cover a cake, and the marzipan is then covered with either royal icing or a layer of fondant (this is the UK way of cake decorating).

Hi Judy! The Hot Chocolate cupcakes call for coconut milk as well. It’s quite easy to find – just look in the asian section of the grocery store. You can also easily substitute regular cocoa powder and plain old milk, that should make things easier and shouldn’t affect the cupcakes at all. :) Let me know how they turn out!

As far as the issue between fondant and gum paste i would try making your own fondant. I use marshmallow fondant and found that it tastes and is a whole lot better than the pre-packaged stuff. Also i just want to say i love everything on your blog!!!

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